A discussion on the concept of gender socialization

To unpack her view, consider the two claims in turn. It unifies them not physically, but by providing a principle of normative unity. This is the view that a certain kind of resemblance relation holds between entities of a particular type for more on resemblance nominalism, see Armstrong39— If culture does affect gender roles, socialization is the process through which culture has this effect.

Comparative data on the division of labor by sex. Murdock found that some tasks in these societies, such as hunting and trapping, are almost always done by men, while other tasks, such as cooking and fetching water, are almost always done by women.

Rather than trans women having to defend their self-identifying claims, these claims should be taken at face value right from the start. In prehistoric societies, then, biology was indeed destiny: Furthermore, we discuss why conducting developmental investigations is enriching to the field of gender studies, both theoretically and methodologically.

Other studies are more experimental in nature. Most studies that rely on social constructionism explore the ways in which gender is constructed but nevertheless demonstrate how those gender constructions uphold gender as a construct and gender inequality.

Women have been expected to be nurturing, sensitive, emotional and relatively passive. This outdated perception, according to Butler, is limiting in that it adheres to the dominant societal constraints that label gender as binary.

For example, researchers have increased efforts to understand early origins of gender differences and have done so by focusing research on younger ages, when gendered cognitions and behaviors first emerge e. Body image is closely linked to psychological well-being during adolescence and can cause harmful effects when a child has body dissatisfaction.

Handbook for achieving gender equity through education 2nd ed. The answer is gender. If sexist oppression were to cease, women and men would no longer exist although there would still be males and females. Among the most popular variations of the social constructionist theories is the gender role theory, considered by Alsop, Fitzsimons and Lennon as an early form of social constructionism.

It is prudent therefore to consider this process when explaining the social construction of knowledge, including knowledge concerning gender. Studies of prenatal exposure to normal variations in hormones such as testosterone Cohen-Bendahan et al.

Further, this differential relation to the possibility of reproduction is used as the basis for many cultural and social phenomena that position women and men: From infancy on, parents play with and otherwise interact with their daughters and sons differently.

In the Arapesh, then, different gender roles did not exist, and in fact, both sexes conformed to what Americans would normally call the female gender role.

In the Arapesh both sexes were gentle and nurturing. Social construction is a dynamic process. Researchers have found that girls with CAH tend to be masculinized in some aspects of their preferences and behaviors e.

Social norms and distinctions that confuse sex and gender are becoming more problematic all the time, especially as our society learns more and becomes more open-minded about people who are considered transgender or queer, and those who do not wish to conform to what has been termed the gender binary.

Teenagers are easily able to formulate their own identities online, however, this can affect adolescent personalties. High school is a large transitional period for teenagers causing them to "cope with these various transitions in different ways; some negotiate the passages easily whereas others develop serious behavioral and psychological problems".

Since women are expected to be more nurturing than men, giving a girl a doll teaches her to care for it and fosters the value of caring for others. Gender socialization is the tendency for boys and girls to be socialized differently.

Erikson split the social psychological development of human beings into eight distinct stages, divided by the age of the individual, from birth all the way until old age. That is, according to this interpretation, all humans are either male or female; their sex is fixed.

Woman is located in myth and popular culture as both goddess and Shakti as virtuous and evil. Other scholars say that sexual orientation is at least partly influenced by cultural norms, so that individuals are more likely to identify as gay or straight depending on the cultural views of sexual orientation into which they are socialized as they grow up.

Due to this, gender is a uniessential property of social individuals. Socialization into gender roles begins in infancy, as almost from the moment of birth parents begin to socialize their children as boys or girls without even knowing it Begley, ; Eliot, This in turn implies that existing gender inequality must continue because it is rooted in biology.

Gender and the Development of Adolescents", "gender differences in the anticipated timing of future role transitions, the impact of expectations and values on these expected timings, and the extent to which expectations foreshadow actual behavior". In this section, we provide some perspective on the broader context of research and theory in the field that coincided with the establishment of Sex Roles as a forum for gender research.

May 12, by Brittany McSorley The field of social psychology has developed rapidly over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, examining the way we behave and how we react to the world around us.Culture is most certainly seen in the implication of gender roles and socialization in that culture is a contributor to the development of an individual person.

Culture predicates the desired reaction of boys and girls to a specific situation or circumstance while programming them on how to feel and respond to that situation.

An Introduction to Sociology Chapter 2. Sociological Research Chapter 3. Culture and norms. She had no understanding of the concept of “family,” didn’t know cultural expectations for using a bathroom for elimination, and had no sense of modesty.

Sociologists are acutely interested in of this type of gender socialization.

Socialization and the Learning of Gender Roles - The term socialization refers to the “lifelong social experience by which individuals develop their human potential and learn culture.” [Macionis et al.

p 55] The concept of socialization is that our actions are driven/learned by culture. The sociology of gender is one of the largest subfields within sociology and features theory and research that critically interrogates the social construction of gender, how gender interacts with other social forces in society, and how gender relates to social structure overall.

Sociologists within. Gender socialization is the process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with one's sex. Sociologists explain through gender socialization why human males and females behave in different ways: they learn different social roles.

Sex is a biological concept, while gender is a social concept and refers to the social and cultural differences a society assigns to people based on their sex. Several biological explanations for gender roles exist, but sociologists think culture and socialization are more important sources of gender roles than biology.